NFL scouts notice Kent State's Simmons, others (Akron Beacon Journal)
Marla Ridenour, Akron Beacon Journal Related Article (Brian Lainhart)
KENT: Former Browns defensive back Raymond Jackson thought he'd found a clone of old teammate Courtney Brown on Wednesday at Kent State University's pro day.
KSU defensive end Monte' Simmons intrigued Jackson, the Pittsburgh Steelers' director of player development.
Simmons said his wingspan measured 831/2 inches, just shy of seven feet. Standing 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds, the muscular Simmons looks like all arms and legs when he runs, which he said has prompted such nicknames as ''Orangutan'' and ''Inspector Gadget.''
''He looks the part; he's a specimen,'' Jackson said of Simmons after the workout. ''He reminds me so much of Courtney Brown. Size-wise, he's a rare specimen. If you go off of looks, he's a day-one guy.
''The film doesn't lie. If he can play he's going to be on somebody's roster.''
Simmons, who had 21.5 sacks and 38.5 tackles for losses in his career at KSU, said his best compliment came after the bench press, when he lifted 225 pounds 22 times.
''The Ravens scout said I was probably the only one who did it right, locked it fully out,'' Simmons said. ''With my arms I can't really cheat because they're going to be able to tell. I don't want to cheat myself, either.''
Simmons also ran the 40 in an official 4.6 seconds and hit 10-2 in the broad jump and 32 inches in the vertical jump.
''I still feel like I had more in me to show,'' said Simmons, of Swissvale, Pa. ''I have another pro day on March 15, just to get myself seen more.''
Nine NFL teams were represented — the Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Bills, Jets, Colts, Giants, Dolphins and Buccaneers. That didn't seem like a large turnout considering Kent State had 10 players in the league last season, including former Pro Bowlers Antonio Gates and Joshua Cribbs and 2008 defensive player of the year James Harrison.
No Golden Flashes were among the 329 invitees to the combine last month in Indianapolis and Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News tabbed safety Brian Lainhart as the top combine snub.
''Everybody's trying to find that gem that somebody else didn't know about or wasn't that serious about,'' Jackson said. ''We've got James Harrison and we love him, so you know we're going to come back here every year.''
Jackson also saw middle linebacker Cobrani Mixon, 6-1 and 241 pounds, hit 39 in the bench press and 351/2 inches in the vertical jump. His shuttles were better than Simmons, Mixon timing 4.32 and 11.68 in the short and long shuttles to Simmons' 4.4 and 11.7.
''I wanted 40 on the bench,'' Mixon said. ''What was important was running well, my 40, my shuttle. That's what I was focused on. I knew the bench would be there.''
He ran the 40 in an official 4.6 seconds.
The biggest disappointment of the day was Lainhart's 40, unofficially a 4.63 before scouts added time for Astroturf and the shoes he wore. He said he weighed in at 212 pounds, nine above his playing weight.
''I think they added a tenth because I had track shoes on,'' Lainhart said. ''I should have worn tennis shoes. Oh, well.''
Lainhart said he left two hours after his December graduation to begin training at D1 Sports in Nashville, where he was joined by former Colerain High School teammate Mixon. They also worked out at Ignition in Mason, Ohio. Lainhart, who had 17 interceptions and 344 tackles as a four-year starter, played in the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Fla., in January.
Lainhart turned in a 28 in the bench press, which topped the best effort by a defensive back at the combine. He also had a 37.5 vertical jump, 10-5 broad jump, 4.25 short shuttle and 11.45 long shuttle.
''I did OK. Never as good as you want it to be,'' Lainhart said of his overall performance. ''I thought my position work was the best part of my day. That's playing football and that's what I can do the best.
''It's been nerve-wracking. It's like camp for two straight months, then when the day's here it goes by so fast. I was like, 'Man, you train two months for three hours?' ''
